Kazakhstan shared experience with professionals from the African continent

Aug 4, 2015

Nazabayev University has hosted a ceremony closing an international seminar on public health, which took place from 20 to 31 July, 2015, for professionals from the African continent. Centre for Life Sciences of the National Laboratory of Astana (Nazarbayev University) have trained 24 professionals from seven African countries in areas of epidemiology, biomedicine and public health.

“This is the first time that we are conducting a training seminar for international professionals. Researchers from the Centre for Life Sciences gave lectures, shared knowledge and experience in epidemiology, biomedicine and public health, with new requirements of world healthcare having been taken into consideration,” Zhaksybay Zhumadilov, director of Centre for Life Sciences at National Laboratory of Astana, said.

The participants will then be able to apply their new knowledge and skills in their countries. In particular, they will learn methods of conducting research in epidemiology and biomedicine. The event is taking place in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan and as part of project “Support to Kazakhstan to deliver development assistance to countries in Africa, Oceania, and the Caribbean through capacity building trainings to young professionals”.

The goal of the seminar was to acquire system-based theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in epidemiology, biomedicine and public health. The seminar contains a course of lectures and workshops delivered by leading professors and PhD holders of a private facility National Laboratory Astana at Nazarbayev University. Participants were very glad to attend a lecture made by the President of Nazarbayev University Shigeo Katsu, Dean of School of Medicine Massimo Pignatelli and ambassador of the South African Republic Shirish Soni.

“I feel that some of the things that maybe we’ve been taking light we are now going to take them to the next level. We are now going to do more research to inform the interventions that we already have. Because we cannot in any way divorce public health from research. Whatever it is that we do, it should have a background or it should be made better by research so that we know that evidence medicine is the key. Kazakhstan is very strong (in evidence-based research) and in most of the lectures that we had in these two weeks they were research-based. Things that we might think they are very, very minor, when we now do research we can come up with a solution. In the twinkling of an eye», she said. “As ambassadors from our respective countries, this is an opportunity to start bilateral relations between our countries and Kazakhstan, as a gateway to central Asia, not only for betterment of public health, but also other sectors of the community (Agriculture, Gas, Oil, Energy),” Ms. Masweu said in her speech addressing the audience.

“From the UN side we are very happy to join Kazakhstan, the Government of Kazakhstan in highlighting the emergence of Africa and the importance of partnership between countries that are pretty far away. I recently travelled from Africa to Astana and it took a long time and it’s not so easy. But I think through bridging activities like these we bring your continent and countries closer with countries in Central Asia on this continent. From the UN country team side, and UNDP in Kazakhstan in particular, we will keep working to build these bridges and I think especially together with the Government of Kazakhstan and civil society of Kazakhstan, as we move into the period of the Sustainable Development Goals,” UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Stephen Tull said at the ceremony closing the seminar.

Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, United Nations Development Programme, trainees from Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe attended the ceremony.